27 New Names Added to Heavy Music Awards Judging Panel, Representing Radio 1 Rock Show, Unified, Rise, Live Nation, Festival Republic, Scuzz, Metropolis Music and more

The most influential names inside the international rock and metal music industry have continued to sign up as judges of the new Heavy Music Awards (HMA), which launched last week.

A further 27 leading figures in heavy music, including Radio 1 Rock Show presenter Daniel P Carter, have agreed to judge the Awards and will cast votes to decide upon the finalists in each of the 11 categories.

Jon McIldowie (Festival Republic / Reading & Leeds Festivals), Alex Herron (Scuzz TV) and Emma Van Duyts (Public City PR) are among the stellar group to join the Awards panel this week – taking the total number of HMA judges so far to 53.

Winners of the Heavy Music Awards, which takes place in London on August 24, will be decided by public vote.

Following the selection of finalists by the judges, public voting will open on May 22 across all categories including Best Album, Best UK Band, Best International Band and Best Festival.

Julie Weir, Label Head at Music For Nations and one of the judges named on launch day (March 1), said: “There are a number of great awards events in the music industry that we all support and respect highly.”

She added: “The Heavy Music Awards is adding to that stable, adding in a broader set of awards for the other areas of the heavier genre, including areas like artwork, photography and production, and opening up the voting to the public, giving all the people that work hard to get the best in heavy music out there the recognition they deserve and may not get elsewhere.

“We are here to champion both the people who have been here for some time, as well as the new generation of heavy bands, and creatives, that are developing right now.”

Paul Ryan, International Agent at UTA – working with the likes of Architects, Bullet For My Valentine, Bring Me The Horizon, Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God – said: “Being independent I jumped at the chance to be involved, it’s a ceremony for heavy music by fans of truly great music – what’s not to love!?”

Andy Pritchard, from organisers The Heavy Group, described the HMAs as “a significant endorsement of the strength of the heavy music scene in 2017.”

He said: “Curated by a collective of music industry professionals – all of them without exception fans of music first and foremost – the Heavy Music Awards will provide an entirely independent vehicle to democratically crown the best of the year in heavy music.

“Expanding the panel with even more of the industry insiders who represent the beating heart of the heavy music scene underlines our intention to create a fully democratic scheme, crowning winners that are indisputably the best in their field for the year.

Recognising the rich history of heavy music, the HMAs will also see the launch of the Heavy Music Hall of Fame, and The H – a community award recognising inspiring achievement by an individual, group or organisation.

A public-voted awards event for rock and metal endorsed by some of the biggest names in the industry was launched today.

The Heavy Music Awards opened today (March 1) and will take place in London on Thursday August 24.

The first wave of confirmed judges features several of the most influential figures from across the heavy music landscape, including Andy Copping (Live Nation / Download Festival), Paul Ryan (UTA), Tom Taaffe (UTA), Julie Weir (Music For Nations), Sharon Richardson (Factory) and Danny Corr (Roadrunner Records), with more set to be announced in the coming weeks.

Following the selection of finalists by the judges, May 22 will see public voting open across 11 categories including Best Album, Best UK Band, Best International Band and Best Festival.

“The heavy music community has proven over the years that it has one of the most loyal and supportive fan bases,” said Live Nation’s Andy Copping, the man behind Download Festival.

He added: “To see an awards that hands the voting power back to the fans is only a good thing in my books.”

Danny Corr, Senior Marketing Manager at Roadrunner Records and responsible for releases from the likes of Slipknot, Trivium, Marmozets and Creeper, said: “With the industry unsure about where its future lies, heavy music is still incredibly strong both in terms of recorded form and live.

“From huge artists returning with massive success to a brilliant slew of new music and breaking acts we are a scene in particularly good health. So it’s great to have a new set of awards celebrating all the parts of our genre and its achievements.”

Andy Pritchard, from organisers The Heavy Group, described the HMAs as “a significant endorsement of the strength of the heavy music scene in 2017.”

He said: “Curated by a collective of music industry professionals – all of them without exception fans of music first and foremost – the Heavy Music Awards will provide an entirely independent vehicle to democratically crown the best of the year in heavy music.

“The panel of respected and knowledgable individuals from across the industry – including managers, labels, promoters, booking agents, publicists, podcasters and more – make their picks for the year, then the public vote to decide the overall winners.

“Thanks to the unwavering dedication of many millions of fans and industry professionals, and the hard work and innovation of artists across the world, the heavy music scene has never been more vibrant and exciting. The scene as a whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. The HMAs celebrates this to represent the year’s best across the entire heavy music spectrum.”

Recognising the rich history of heavy music, the HMAs will also see the launch of the Heavy Music Hall of Fame, and The H – a community award recognising inspiring achievement by an individual, group or organisation.

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